


don't let them dim your fire

by iseekdaylight



Series: the stuff of comets [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, figure skating AU, implied eating disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 09:43:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15771576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iseekdaylight/pseuds/iseekdaylight
Summary: When Ten was six and very naïve,  he had vowed to become the first Thai skater to make it to the Olympics.At the back of his mind, he thinks his almost-six-year-old self would be very proud and amazed at what he has accomplished since then.





	don't let them dim your fire

**Author's Note:**

> hello!
> 
> almost two years ago, i published a figure skating au called _the stuff of comets_. since then, i had been planning to write side stories but never got beyond the planning stage, until now. 
> 
> i initially didn’t plan to write a side story with ten’s pov, but i had a change of heart after the olympic season, so yay! 
> 
> the setting of this fic takes place two years after the events of _the stuff of comets_ , which means the story happens before figure skating season 2020-2021. the references to skating are actually few because i think this is the off-season, so obviously, no competitions. there will also be references to a future side story. 
> 
> i’ve never been to bangkok in my life, and my knowledge of thai culture goes so much as my favorite thai dramas and a little bit of research. also, i tried my best to simplify skating jargon, but if you’re confused with something, please let me know. you can drop a comment, mention me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/iseekdaylight), or yell at me on [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/iseekdaylight) (i don’t normally get asks here, but lol). 
> 
> and i added this to the tags, but take note that there is a reference to an implied eating disorder. 
> 
> the title of the fic is still based on the [song](https://vimeo.com/166966017) leslie odom jr. and daveed diggs sung for espn. 
> 
> and as always, a special thank you to my beta-reader and fellow banner-waving queen at figure skating competitions, @caramiro. 
> 
> and that’s the end of my long beginning notes. enjoy!

Imperial World Ice Skating. Ten had been in this place too regularly that he walks through the hallways with ease, even greeting staff with cheer and familiarity. He remembers some of these staff members already working here when he signed up for lessons when he was five years old, and they are still here. It warms his heart, really.

There is already animated chatter when he arrives in the locker room. As soon as he opens the door, screams rebound all over the small room. The next thing he knows, he’s being crowded by children and teenagers alike. “P’Ten! P’Ten!” come the barely harmonized calls of his name.

Ten beams at the attention. Soon, skating boots, pens, and notebooks are being shoved at his direction. He has to set down his bags so that he could accommodate autographs and photo ops.

Eventually, though, someone from behind him yells, “That’s enough, kids! Ten has an interview to attend. Save the autographs and photos for later.”

Ten lets out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding as he hands a signed skating booth to the last child to ask for a signature before his mother arrived. He then looks over his shoulder to find his mother leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed. She’s shaking her head, but there’s a small smile on her face.

“If you sign everyone’s skates and notebooks, you’ll be late for your interview,” she tells him.

Ten smiles sheepishly. “Mom, the crew’s not even here yet,” he points out, batting his eyelashes.

Of course, he knows that act of cuteness isn’t going to work on his mother, who rolls her eyes. She’s still grinning, though, so Ten figures he isn’t really in trouble. “Be at the rink in five minutes.”

By the time he has changed into his skating gear and his boots, the rink is already full of activity. But by the entrance of the rink are a couple of people that look out of place among the children in skating gear. A guy in black has a camera on his hand, and another guy has a boom mic. Meanwhile, between them is a slender woman with hair swept to a ponytail, wearing a black blazer over a red jumpsuit.

Ten, of course, recognizes the woman. She’s Mew, one of the most popular newscasters on Thai television. He spent most of his teenage years—at least, those times spent in Bangkok—seeing her on her morning show, wondering what it is like to spend a couple of hours with her.

Years later, he can’t believe that Mew is going to interview him.

Mew spots him heading in their direction, and she beams. “Ten!” she exclaims, extending her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“No, it’s a pleasure to meet _you_ ,” Ten says, barely containing his excitement as he squeezes the newscaster’s hand. “I can’t believe I get to be your interviewee.”

“That makes us even,” Mew giggles. “I’ve watched your performance in the Olympics. And when you won the bronze medal at the World Championships. You were amazing!”

“Thank you.” Ten feels his face warm up at that. The feelings when he stepped on the podium for all the world to see are back. It’s still surreal to actually win something when he knew he didn’t have a chance, given the rest of the field has at least three quads while he only has two.

But it’s the best feeling in the world.

“Anyway,” Mew says, interrupting his train of thought, “shall we start?”

What he likes about being interviewed by Mew is that she doesn’t just ask the usual questions. His answers to “Who is your idol?” (“Stephane Lambiel!”) and “How does it feel becoming the first Southeast Asian skater to win a World medal?” (“It still feels like a dream!”) are already sounding scripted. So it was refreshing to get asked about off-ice interactions with skaters (“Adam Rippon basically adopted me already.”) and his feelings about Southeast Asian skating (“It’s still a small community, but we’re getting there.”).

“And now you’re having an ice show this week,” Mew mentions, a sign that the interview is about to end.

Ten beams at the mention of the ice show, his fruit of labor for the past six months. “It’s called 10 out of Ten,” he explains. “We have two shows—one on Friday and one on Saturday—and we still have a few seats left.”

“The seats are running out, huh?” Mew chuckles. “Everyone wants to see Thailand’s Ice Prince.”

It’s a title that he’s still surprised to get after all these years, so a blush creeps his cheeks as he laughs nervously. “I think Thailand is just starting to appreciate skating,” he says instead.

The interview ends, and Mew requests that he skates one of his programs. It’s a medley of Thai music, and his free skate during the Olympics in Pyeongchang. It’s still one of his most favorite programs, because there he was, the only Thai skater in the Olympics, and suddenly his country is on the figure skating map.

As he steps on the rink to perform his program, he’s thrown back to that time eighteen years ago. Back then, he was watching the figure skating competition in Salt Lake City, and he sat on his couch, entranced by Alexei Yagudin’s short program. He had wondered out loud why no one in Thailand was competing, after which his monthly gently told him because there were no Thai skaters eligible.

He was turning six and very naïve, and he had vowed to become the first Thai skater to make it to the Olympics.

At the back of his mind, he thinks his almost-six-year-old self would be very proud and amazed at what he has accomplished since then.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes Ten wonders if he’s Thai at all.

He’s standing in the Arrivals section of Suvarnabhumi Airport, furiously fanning himself with a large fan his mother lent him while the other people around him look almost unaffected. The summer heat is stifling that he thinks he’s going to die before his friends could arrive. He blames this all on staying in Canada for most of the year.

His watch reads 2:25 p.m., which means his friends should be arriving any time now. Ten hopes it’s soon because, seriously, he could feel a heat stroke coming up.

Fortunately, the rest of the wait doesn’t take too long. Soon, the arrival doors open, and Johnny, Taeyong, and Mark step out with their luggage in tow. Johnny, as always, leads the other two, his gaze scanning the visitors’ area.

Ten practically drops his fan as he jumps up and down, waving at his friends. “Hey, Johnny! Over here!”

When Johnny turns to look at him, he feels time stop. The last time Ten had seen his boyfriend was three months ago, before he flew to Bangkok. That was after the World Championships, and they shared a few sweet hours after the banquet before Ten took the first flight home.

Looking back, those past three months felt like a lifetime. He misses Johnny. Terribly.

Ten quickly squeezes himself out of the crowd to head to the gate separating the visitors and the newly arrived passengers. Johnny meets him halfway, and they spend a good couple of seconds staring at each other as if wondering if this is real—that they’re face to face, without time zones and distance separating them.

It’s Johnny who makes the first move—luggage be damned—making huge strides with his long legs until, suddenly, his arms are around Ten. Ten unceremoniously drops his bag and his fan to return the gesture, pressing himself close against the older one. God, he can complain a thousand times about the heat at the airport, but Johnny’s warmth is a different story. How he survived three months without it is a mystery.

When Johnny pulls away, he’s grinning. And Ten loves the way Johnny smiles because his eyes disappear in crinkles, his teeth flash, and the edge of his lips stretch to his cheeks. The sight just makes his heart swell because. _God._ He’s the luckiest guy in the world.

“Missed you,” Johnny says, making no move to pull away.

Ten feels his cheeks hurt, and he doesn’t care one bit. “Missed you, too,” he says, tiptoeing to kiss Johnny squarely on the lips. The older one reciprocates, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

“Guys …” he hears Mark groan from somewhere. “I know you missed each other, but we’re in public?”

Johnny pulls away, chuckling when Ten makes a needy whine. “Guess you better say hi to my killjoy brother,” he says, rolling his eyes when he catches Mark sticking his tongue out at him.

If Ten had his way, he would pull Johnny back to his arms and kiss him to make up for that goddamn three months. But he missed Mark, too. When he turns to the younger one, though, he ends up craning his neck, which doesn’t bode well for him. “Did you get taller?” he asks.

Mark snickers. “And still growing,” he remarks. He laughs when Ten scoffs. “Hey, hyung,” he adds, pulling Ten to a one-armed hug.

“Don’t forget about me.” Taeyong is pouting when he steps forward, but he grins when he hugs Ten. “Hey, Tennie.”

“Hey yourself.” When Ten pulls away, he takes a good look at his friend, and he doesn’t like what he’s seeing. Taeyong has huge bags under his eyes, and he looks thinner. He tries to resist frowning, but he couldn’t. “You doing okay?”

Taeyong grimaces for a split second before giving a smile that does not quite reach his ears. “I’m fine,” he says. “Just jet-lagged. And Coach Lee made me do this weight management program.”

Somehow, Ten doesn’t believe that, but he doesn’t let Taeyong know that. “No offense to Coach  Lee, but I’m gonna fatten you up for the weekend.”  He laughs when Taeyong puffs his cheeks indignantly. (Honestly, who is older between the two of them?) “I’ll save your ass from Coach Lee, how about that?”

Finally, his friend relaxes. “Okay, okay, as long as you save my ass from Coach Lee.”

Ten finally remembers that he dropped his belongings, picking them up before leading the way to the airport’s waiting area, where the family van is waiting for them. Ten’s parents are there, his father shaking Taeyong’s hand, then hugging Johnny and Mark as if they were part of the family. He and Johnny then make themselves comfortable at the back of the van, while Taeyong and Mark sit in front of them.

His parents mostly do the talking during the ride. His friends have already gotten close to them when his parents occasionally stay in Vancouver, so there was no awkwardness at all. Mark grumbles about catching up on schoolwork—he’s in his second year in UBC—and Taeyong talks about the adjustments he had to make since switching to Coach Lee after last season. And then Johnny gets congratulated for passing his third level of coaching certification, which means he can represent Mark as a coach in international competitions.

After hearing that his friends hadn’t eaten anything for a while, Ten’s parents pull over at a restaurant just near the hotel, where they treat the group to a heap full of food. Ten remembers eating here a couple of times, whenever they are in the area. The food is too fancy for his liking, but he doesn’t really mind the splurging, especially when he sees Taeyong dig into the crab fried curry as if his life depended on it. That, and his parents are paying.

They were too full from the meal, so his parents suggested that they do some exploring before they check in. Somehow they ended up at IMPACT Speed Park, where there is a considerable number of people in the lakefront. Ten could see the ice show banners hanging by the lamp posts, and the sight warms his heart.

“Hey,” Johnny speaks up, pointing to the banners near the row of water bikes. “Let me take a picture of you.”

“You know I’ll never pass an opportunity to promote the show,” Ten giggles. He heads next to the lamp post and makes his wackiest pose yet. Mark and Taeyong are doubling over in laughter as Johnny takes multiple photos of him.

Just as he’s thinking of what caption he should type up on social media, he gets approached by a bunch of kids, staring at him wide-eyed. “You’re on the banners!” one kid says, pointing to the banner by the lamppost where he had just posed.

“That’s right.” Ten grins. “Are you watching this weekend?”

“Yeah! My mom bought tickets! We saw you at the Olympics, and I wanna be just like you!”

Ten’s heart swells at that. He had heard those words time and again, but hearing that he was an inspiration for someone to start skating never fails to tug at his heartstrings.

“Can we have a picture with you?” one of the kids asks, his phone already out.

“Hey, sure.” He’s about to grab the kid’s phone so he could take a selfie, but Johnny had beat him to it, talking to the kid in the limited Thai Ten had taught him.

Soon, though, one photo op turns into more as more people started swarming them, recognizing him, and jumping in on the bandwagon. Some ask a photo op just with him, while others ask to pose with Mark, Johnny, and Taeyong, too. Not that Ten minds. He gets to talk to the people, who he finds out watched him in the Olympics, watched him win the bronze medal in last season’s Worlds, even watched him in the early years in his career. And to think these are people from all walks of life—children, middle-aged women, yuppies.

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” his mother declares, grabbing him by the wrist as the crowd shows no sign of dispersing. “Sorry, everyone. The boys have a busy schedule tomorrow. We’ll see you in the ice show.”

Ten manages to shamelessly plug the show, though, before he gets dragged away. “Please buy tickets to 10 Out of Ten! We have special gifts for audience members!”

 

 

 

 

It was already evening when they reach the hotel. Ten bids his parents goodbye before following his friends to the reception area, where he checks in for them, getting three keys in the process—one suite for each of them.

“If you got only three keys, where are _you_ staying?” Taeyong asks just as a bellboy takes their luggage, leading them to the elevator.

Ten raises an eyebrow at his friend. “Really?” he remarks. “Do you even need to know where I’m staying?”

Taeyong opens his mouth to say something, but he closes it as his eyes widen. “Oh. _Right_.” He then clears his throat and waves his hand. “Whatever. Just don’t be loud … or something.”

Beside Johnny, who merely grins, Mark’s face turns as red as a tomato.

By the time they reach their floor, they sleepily bid each other goodnight before disappearing to their respective rooms. Johnny is a little slow in tapping the key card, but they make it inside, and that’s what matters.

The premier suite is nothing like Ten ever imagined. They step into a spacious living room, which had plush couches next to a huge window. To the right is a long table with a mini-bar, then there’s also an office desk. The huge doorframe to the left then leads to what he thinks is the bathroom door, then a queen-sized bed.

“Finally, a bed!” Johnny sets his luggage by the doorframe before diving forward the bed. “God, I missed you, fluffy pillows.”

Ten laughs, setting his own bags beside Johnny’s before lying down the empty space on the bed. “I can’t believe the hotel pillows are getting more action than I do.”

Johnny’s chuckles are muffled by the pillow he’s hugging. “I can’t believe my boyfriend is getting jealous over fluffy pillows.”

“Precisely because you’re hugging them right now?”

Suddenly, the mattress shifts. There’s an arm over him, and he’s being pulled close. Johnny makes this sound that comes across as a giggle, and honestly, how could such a cute sound come out of someone so … tall? “What are you doing?” he asks, trying not to sound like he’s enjoying this.

“And now I’m hugging you,” Johnny chuckles, tucking his chin on Ten’s shoulder. “Happy now?”

“Hmmm …” Ten shifts so that he’s facing Johnny, his gaze immediately on his boyfriend’s lips. “Glad to know you’re not cheating on me over a fluffy pillow.”

“I would never.” Johnny grins. “Besides, a pillow can’t kiss me back.”

Ten’s cheeks are hurting. He shifts closer, feels Johnny’s breath against his face, and wonders how he managed to stay sane after being apart from his boyfriend for so long. “Okay, good,” he says, leaning forward.

They kiss slowly, taking their time, making up for the days when they could only communicate through phone calls and video chats. Johnny tastes like the mango sorbet they had for dessert, and this just makes Ten want to press further.

Somehow, Johnny ends up sitting up and leaning against the headboard, and Ten is suddenly on top, hands cupping the older one’s face. His breath hitches, and he grinds his hips onto Johnny’s, hoping that this could turn into something more. (It’s been months, okay?)

“Wait.” Johnny suddenly pulls away, and he chuckles when Ten groans in protest. “Sorry,” he mumbles, breath shallow as he presses his forehead against Ten’s shoulder. “I think the jet lag is catching up to me.”

Ten is disappointed, but the last thing he wants is Johnny falling asleep in the middle of sexy times. So he doesn’t push it. “Let’s sleep, then,” he says, pressing a light kiss on Johnny’s lips before slipping back on the mattress.

They do fall asleep within minutes, Johnny holding Ten close. Ten doesn’t mind the least bit, because he misses this, too, of lying in bed all day, just taking in everything about Johnny.

 

 

 

 

 

He’s really grateful that he and Johnny didn’t go further than that heavy makeout session because the alarm on his phone blares at seven in the morning, and his mother called, reminding him to be up for breakfast. “You boys have to be at the rink at 9 a.m. sharp. Don’t make the kids wait,” she says sternly before hanging up.

Luckily,  Johnny is already up and dressed by the time Ten drags himself out of bed. “I got the others up,” he announces, no trace of jet lag now. “We’ll meet them in the hotel restaurant.”

“Sounds good to me.” Ten fishes out his phone to check his calendar. “By the way, my parents are picking us up after our workshop in Imperial World. We’ll pick up Hansol, Yuta, and Jaehyun in the airport. Then we’ll have dinner in our house, then we’ll head back to the hotel.”

“Wait, your parents are gonna drive us back to the hotel?”

Ten grins. “Actually, I was thinking of driving us back with my car,” he says.

“Your car?” Johnny’s eyes widen. “How come I never knew about this?”

“Hey, it’s a gift from a sponsor.” Ten beams at the memory. While he has enough savings to actually get a car—and his driving skills aren’t so shabby either, what with Johnny teaching him back in Vancouver—it’s a pleasant surprise to have one of his sponsors give him a gift after Worlds.

And he had fallen in love with it. And not to brag or anything, but he really wants to show his friends the fruits of his labor.

He must have been smiling too widely because Johnny chuckles then ruffles his hair. “Sounds cool,” he says. “Besides, it’s time you get on the wheel for a change.”

“Hey, we take turns driving in Vancouver.” Ten laughs, playfully shoving his boyfriend before heading to the bathroom to get changed.

By the time they arrive in the hotel restaurant, Taeyong and Mark have already saved a table for them. The restaurant is bustling, guests falling in line at the buffet table. Mark has a heap of food on his plate, while Taeyong has only a bagel.

Ten eyes Taeyong’s plate carefully. “Those kids are gonna be a handful,” he says. “You’ll need all the energy you can get.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling him for the past few minutes,” Mark says with his mouth full.

Taeyong rolls his eyes. “I’m fine,” he says. “I ate too much yesterday.”

Ten meets Johnny’s gaze, and he knows that he shouldn’t push the issue. He sighs. “Fine. But we’re buying snacks on the way in case you get hungry.”

Taeyong looks down on his plate, barely saying a word.

Ten runs by them their schedule for the day—the workshop, picking up the others in the airport, then dinner with his parents. The mere mention of Jaehyun’s name sends Taeyong flinching, but Ten pretends like he’s talking about today’s weather. Still, his hunch was correct.

“It’s something to do with Jaehyun, huh,” he asks Johnny when Taeyong headed to the bathroom.

Johnny sighs, tucking his chin on his hands. “I’m worried about him,” he says. “He literally doesn’t eat much anymore, it’s not healthy.”

“It wasn’t this bad when he and Jaehyun hyung broke up,” Mark says, glancing at the direction of the restroom. “But from what I heard from Donghyuck, the fed wasn’t so happy that he placed fourth in Worlds. They wanted him to win. And he’s been busting his ass since then.”

Ten lets out a breath, leaning against his seat to process this. It’s true that out of all the active Korean skaters, Taeyong bears the biggest pressure. After all, he won the Olympic bronze medal then won the World silver medal a month later. He had been finishing off the podium since then, but he had never once won gold. So he understands the pressure.

But still … “Have you asked him to get help?” he asks. “I’m pretty sure Coach Lee knows sports psychologists in his circle.”

“Coach Lee says he’s talking to one right now,” Johnny says. “But convincing Taeyong is another story.”

“Here’s to hoping we can convince him at some point,” Ten says, effectively switching moods as Taeyong emerges from the restroom. “So, did I mention those Lotus stick biscuits on 7-Eleven are the best?”

Luckily, Taeyong doesn’t seem to realize that they were all talking about him, and they climb into the family van at exactly 9 a.m. He plays tour guide, pointing out all the buildings where he usually hung out whenever he heads home. Admittedly, he’s more excited about the exploring they have to do rather than the workshop with the kids. This is everyone’s first time in Bangkok—except that one time Johnny and Mark were on a layover during their flight to China, but that doesn’t count—and he wants to show the place where he grew up in.

Still, he’s brimming with excitement when they arrive at Imperial World Ice Skating. Unlike yesterday, the place is quieter, which Ten expects. After all, the fed closed the entire rink just for this workshop, which meant only select skaters can come in.

The skaters have already gathered at the rink, cheering when they arrive. They wave and smile at the kids before they are ushered to a room that serves as their locker room. They rush into changing into their skating gear, after which they head to the rink.

“Hey, kids!” Ten greets in Thai. The kids greet back enthusiastically, though not in unison. Not that he minds. “I’m Ten, and I’d like to introduce you to my training mates.”

The kids are a bundle of energy so early in the morning, but they were also very eager to learn. And even when it takes some time for them to pick up instructions because of the language barrier (Ten and a dedicated translation are on standby), they pretty much learn the choreography ahead of time.

Johnny pulls him aside as Taeyong and Mark take the lead doing crossovers around the rink. “See anyone with potential?” he asks.

Ten hums, his eyes scanning the rink, trying to remember which kids impressed him a couple of hours ago. He finds who he is looking for. “See that girl with the neon pink ponytail?” he asks. “Her name’s Laila. She has amazing edges.”

Johnny follows his gaze, and he nods. “Yeah, I remember her.”

Ten remembers Laila from last year’s Nationals. She was a novice skater back then, landing double jump after double jump. If he remembers correctly, he had heard Laila’s mother mention before that she might turn junior next season.

Looking for a “successor” is something Ten had never thought he would do up to now. After all, he was used to being the only skater representing Thailand in international competitions, that having someone eventually share the spotlight with him feels … new. In a good way. It’s like knowing that someone will take his place once he retires took a huge weight off his shoulders.

When they announce the final line-up later on, the kids cheer, even for those who didn’t make the cut. Ten watches as Laila light up at the announcement, eyes with a fire that he had once seen in himself years ago.

Maybe he’s just reaching, but he stops being realistic and starts to think of Thailand figure skating moving on from him after the next Olympics.

 

 

 

 

After the workshop, they still have time to spare until Ten’s parents pick them up to go to the airport. He suggests they go walk around the mall before getting lunch. “Admittedly, I grew up exploring more malls than I ever did going to zoos and parks,” he admits with a chuckle. “But I don’t regret it. I discovered skating when I was exploring the mall.”

“Just make sure we’re not gonna go mall hopping during our day tour,” Mark snickers, though his eyes brighten up when he spots a pair of sneakers on the window of the store. “Ooh, Johnny, can I take a look?”

“Who am I, Mom?” Johnny snorts, but he looks at Ten and cocks his head to the direction of the store, which Mark is already entering. “Wanna come with?”

Ten momentarily glances at Taeyong, who is picking on the skin by his fingernails. Maybe he could get something out of his friend, catch up from those three months he wasn’t in Vancouver. “We’ll wait for you,” he says.

“Cool. This could take a while, though.”  Johnny chuckles before following his brother inside.

“Take your time~” Ten singsongs. He then looks over his shoulder to find Taeyong staring at him, arms crossed. “What?”

“Okay, admit it, you want me alone for some heart-to-heart time.”

“What?” Ten feigns innocence. “Just because I didn’t follow my boyfriend doesn’t mean—“

“Ten.”

There’s no use worming his way out when Taeyong has that glare.  He doesn’t know how to talk about the issue right away, so he settles for the next concerning part. “Okay, I’m just worried about later,” he says. “You’ll be seeing Jaehyun after, what, months?”

The name causes Taeyong to flinch. His gaze flits to the ground, his cheeks pink. “Okay, fine, I’m terrified,” he says. “But I don’t want things to be awkward around the group.”

“Yeah, but I’m worried about you, of course.” Ten puts a hand on Taeyong’s shoulder. “You look like you’re internally panicking or something.”

“I am.” Taeyong chuckles. “Do I even have the right to be panicking when I’m the one who broke up with him?”

Ten sighs and shakes his head. “Then maybe you should talk,” he says. “You know, figure out where you guys stand now.”

Taeyong’s eyes widen. “What if he hates me?”

Ten clearly wants to point out that Jaehyun still has feelings for Taeyong, if their conversation after the breakup is any indication. Still, it’s for him to know and for Taeyong to find out. “Just … talk it out.  I’m sure he doesn’t hate you.” From the corner of his eye, he spots Johnny and Mark already by the cashier. “And off-topic … you know you can talk to us about anything, right?”

His friend smile looks sad, but Ten doesn’t push it. “I know. Thanks.”

Their short talk seems to have cheered Taeyong up, though, because he and Mark fight over who gets the huge piece of meat during their Korean barbecue lunch. Clearly, Taeyong won’t be like that for long, especially when the rest of the group arrives later, but Ten feels a glimmer of hope that his friend is trying to be okay.

 

 

 

 

Taeyong’s mood is quick to change, though, when the family van arrives. The older one is biting his nails as he gazes out of the window, probably not caring about the view from outside as they make their way to the airport. Instantly, he could feel the dark cloud hovering above the group, with the others knowing that the reunion between Taeyong and Jaehyun since their breakup is nerve-wracking for the former.

Ten scoots to the back of the van, switching places with Mark so he could sit next to Taeyong. “You don’t have to meet him in the Arrivals area,” he says, reaching for his friend’s hand. “You can just stay here and, I don’t know, pretend to nap or something.”

Taeyong lets out a strangled laugh at that. “I’m still gonna see him either way,” he says. “Might as well get it over with.”

He’s suddenly nervous as to how things will turn out, and as much as he wants everything to go well, he braces himself for the worst.

Finally, they reach the Arrivals area of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Fortunately, it wasn’t as hot as the last time Ten was here. Taeyong starts pacing and biting his nails again, and Johnny intuitively drags him to the nearby vending machine. Ten mouths a thank you to his boyfriend before he and Taeyong disappear from view.

Mark sighs, leaning against the railings. “I hope Taeyong hyung and Jaehyun hyung work things out.”

“I hope so, too,” Ten stands beside Mark, their arms touching. “The last thing I want is drama off-ice before the show. That, and I really want things to be okay, whether or not they get back together.”

“I really want them to get back together,” Mark says, his cheeks suddenly pink.

“Me, too, but right now, I just want Taeyong to take care of himself.”

By the time Johnny and Taeyong return, the latter still looks nervous, but at least he doesn’t look like he’s about to bolt anytime soon. And just as they return, the gates of the Arrivals area open, and newly arrived passengers wheel their luggage out, looking around for any signs of friends or loved ones.

Sure enough, the rest of his friends arrive. Hansol leads the pack, scanning the crowd. Behind him, Yuta stretches as if recovering from an hours-long nap. Meanwhile, Jaehyun is busy typing something on his phone.

Ten glances at Taeyong, who stiffens. He wants to reassure Taeyong that everything is okay, but who is he kidding? Hansol is a month fresh from military duty, and he hasn’t seen Yuta in a year, and Jaehyun in a month, and this is the first time Team VSC will be complete after a while. He beams, jumping and waving at his friends. “Hansol! Over here!”

Hansol finally glances at his direction, and his face brightens up. “Ten!” he exclaims, practically wheeling his trolley so fast as if he’s pedaling a bike. Fortunately, he doesn’t manage to collide with anyone, maneuvering the trolley so deftly and so quickly that the next thing Ten knows is that he’s being crushed into a hug.

“God, it’s been two years!” Hansol says, practically crushing Ten’s ribs, but Ten’s too happy to even care.

“It is!” When Ten pulls away, he takes a good look at his friend. His hair is still short, and he looks thinner. But otherwise, that’s the same grin that the Ji Hansol he knew has. “You okay?”

“Never been better.” Hansol grins, turning to Johnny, Mark, and Taeyong. “Glad to see you guys again.”

“Us, too.” Johnny moves forward and hugs Hansol. “It’s hard being the only uncle in VSC.”

“Hey, I’m an uncle, too!” Yuta pipes up, hugging Ten before hugging Johnny, Taeyong, and Mark.

“A pretty famous one at that,” Mark quips, grinning. “Shoma keeps mentioning how often he sees you on television.”

“Well, no one can resist my charms.” Yuta chuckles.

And then there’s Jaehyun, who is grinning though his eyes are traveling towards Taeyong, who is suddenly looking at anywhere but his phone. Ten takes the initiative and hugs his friend. “You okay?” he whispers.

“Nervous,” Jaehyun admits, forcing a smile. He’s then caught off-guard by Johnny and Mark hugging him. But when all that is over, he finds himself face to face with Taeyong.

Ten gulps, and he and Johnny share worried glances.

“Um …” Jaehyun clears his throat. “Hi, hyung.”

He feels everyone in their vicinity draw in a deep breath, looking at Taeyong expectantly.

Taeyong sets down his phone and stuffs it in his pocket, cracking a small smile. “Hey, Jae,” he greets.

Everyone heaves a collective sigh of relief.

 

 

 

 

The reunion wasn’t as smooth as Ten expected, but it wasn’t that bad either. At least, Taeyong and Jaehyun exchanged greetings and were attempting to make casual conversation. It’s awkward, but at least they were talking.

The chatter during the drive home is animated. Hansol shares his experiences while in military duty, scaring Taeyong and Jaehyun in the process. (“Hey!” Hansol huffs. “At least now you know, so you’ll be more prepared when you finally enlist.”) Yuta shares the craziest antics he has done on Japanese variety television and even gushes about being a regular on a show by the biggest idol group in the country. Meanwhile, Jaehyun mentions how it’s like training again with his childhood coach, who also coaches some of Donghyuck and Mark’s friends in Korea.

It’s just like old times, of catching up by the time everyone returns to Vancouver after the off-season. They would crash in Johnny and Mark’s place, eat everything they couldn’t eat while in training, kick each other’s butts on video games, and talk about everything under the sun. Ten is glad to see that nothing has changed.

Finally, they reach Ten’s house. It’s already early evening when they arrive since they manage to get entangled in the city’s traffic jam. Still, Ten is bursting with excitement as he gets off first, waiting for the others to get out before making a grand gesture. “Welcome to my humble abode!”

Yuta looks up and whistles. “Ten, this is hardly a ‘humble abode’. It looks like it’s from _Crazy Rich Asians_ or something.”

“Don’t worry, we get that a lot,” Ten’s mother remarks with a wink, ushering them all inside. “Help yourselves to some snacks in the living room. I’ll just get dinner ready.”

“Hold on, Mom, I’ll tour them around the place first.”

Okay, so maybe he’s richer than his friends. And maybe richer than other Thai skaters because he was able to pay for insanely high fees with little federation support. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s, well, Ten. It’s not like he’s some privileged prick or something, right? (And if he were, he’s pretty sure his friends would knock some sense into him.)

He doesn’t mean to brag, but he’s pretty sure it’s standard host etiquette to show his guests around the house. He drags his friends to the living room, spacious with high ceilings and large sliding glass windows leading to the garden. Then to the kitchen, which his mother was very hands-on in designing so that she could have enough space for the appliances and the utensils, then his father’s office, then his bedroom.

Ten ends their tour on the rooftop, which has a pergola gazebo to shelter the couches and the coffee table. “This is where we go drinking,” he says. “Or when we just need a quiet space to think and look at the view.”

“The view _is_ fantastic, though.” Taeyong makes his way to the rooftop railings, leaning against it to take in the entire view of the city at nighttime. Ten is a witness to this view countless times, but it never fails to take his breath away.

“It is, right?” Ten grins. “Come on, let’s take a selfie!”

“Let’s get a pic for this camera, too,” Johnny announces, fishing his camera out of his bag.

Just as Ten posts the photo on his Instagram, his mother calls them down for dinner. He sighs contentedly as he smells his mother’s yam wun sen kung, though he receives a swat as he dips his spoon on the bowl, ready to take a sip.

The scene before him—his friends having dinner with his family—is actually not a new scene. Back when his mother would stay with him in Vancouver, she would always hold dinners for him and his friends, even more so whenever his father and his sister Tern paid a visit. So there wasn’t really any awkward atmosphere as they listened to his father’s stories about home, talked about the places they should go to when they have more time to explore in Bangkok, laughed along as Ten and Tern went into their usual round of teasing.

After dinner, his father gives his friends cans of beer, and they all gather in the garden. Tern turns up the speaker, which plays popular Thai songs, which serves as their background music for another round of conversations.

Apparently, Yuta and Tern launch into this conversation about something the former is about to cover for a documentary. Which ends up with Tern dragging Yuta to her room. Somehow, Taeyong and Jaehyun have disappeared somewhere, while Mark and Ten’s father discuss this popular video game.

Suddenly, Johnny is leaning to his side, breath ticklish on his ear. “Let’s get out of here for a bit,” he says.

“My thoughts exactly.” Ten grins. “My room?”

“Gross, you two,” Mark suddenly speaks up, his face red.

“I’m not the one thinking of dirty thoughts here, kiddo,” Johnny snorts, ruffling his brother’s hair before he takes Ten’s hand. “We’ll be back in a bit.”

Hands swaying, Ten drags Johnny to his bedroom, to the second floor and the first door after the flight of stairs. He had shown his friends his room a couple of hours before, but he and Johnny didn’t really have the time to stay here. Until now, at least.

He had brought Johnny over so many times that he lost count, but bringing Johnny to his childhood bedroom is a different story. He’s actually excited and nervous at the same time.

“Babe, you’re thinking really hard about something right now.” Johnny chuckles, squeezing his hand. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Ten lets go of Johnny’s hand and closes the door, leaning against it. Meanwhile, Johnny sits on the edge of his bed.  He has this gentle smile on his face that makes Ten’s heart swell, and it’s unfair how much he wants to explode and Johnny has no idea about it.

“Hey.” Johnny’s voice is softer. “Are you nervous about this?”

Of course, hand it to Johnny to quickly read him. Ten sighs and laughs. “Maybe I’m just overreacting,” he says. He finally peels himself from the door and sits next to Johnny. “It feels different, me bringing you here.”

“Is it because this is your actual home?” Johnny asks, arms slipping around Ten’s shoulders.

“Something like that?” Ten laughs again. “Anyway, maybe I really am thinking too much over this. Don’t mind me.”

Johnny hums, pulling Ten close to an embrace. “Hey, it’s just me,” he says.

“I know.” Ten looks up, and their faces are inches away from each other. He feels a little better now because, of course, this is Johnny, his best friend and boyfriend. They’ve gone through everything, so this moment shouldn’t be a big thing. Because it’s just _them_.

Johnny kisses him, and he kisses back. And yeah, even though it’s _just them_ , there’s always this new feeling whenever he’s kissing Johnny. This time, it’s like looking out at the view from their roof deck and seeing the beauty the city has at night. It’s that light feeling that takes his breath away, that feeling that he wants to take a photo so that he never forgets.

Johnny somehow manages to push him down the bed. Ten pulls away, his breaths shallow. “My parents are downstairs,” he says, and he doesn’t really know how he managed to speak at that point.

“I know.” Johnny grins, leaning forward to gently nip on Ten’s neck. He shivers at the contact. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

Ten hums. He isn’t really opposed to this, but he has to repeatedly remind himself that his sister likes opening the door without knocking. He sighs, propping himself up to give Johnny one last kiss before the older one lies down so that they’re both staring up at the ceiling.

“I’m glad you took us here,” Johnny says after a while.

“Me, too.” Ten grins. “If you guys could stay longer, I would have had everyone stay in the guest rooms.”

“Maybe next year. I’m sure you’ll have another ice show. We can stay a week longer.”

“I’d love that.” His mind is running with the possibilities. He’s even thinking of an out-of-town trip, remembering that his uncle runs a resort somewhere … But of course, he remembers he has to make this ice show a success first. “We can talk about that later, though.”

“Yeah.” Johnny shifts up and presses a kiss on Ten’s cheek. “Maybe at the end of the year, we can start planning.”

“You sound more excited than I am.” Ten shifts so that he and Johnny are face to face.

“Yeah, of course, I’d love to spend time with my favorite parents.”

Ten snorts and playfully shoves his boyfriend.

They spend the next half hour cuddling and kissing until Tern barges in the room without knocking, announcing that Mark is already half-asleep on the couch. She barely bats an eyelash as she stares at his brother before closing the door, but Ten’s face is red as he fixes himself before he and Johnny head out.

 

 

 

 

The next day, they gather in the hotel restaurant at seven in the morning for breakfast. The group is quiet as they pile their plate with food from the buffet line. And when they return to their group table, the only sounds were from the clanking of utensils against the plate. Ten eyes Taeyong carefully and is relieved to find his friend eating something heavier than yesterday’s breakfast.

The atmosphere is livelier, though, after breakfast. They all hop in Ten’s car, and Ten makes the short drive from the hotel to IMPACT Arena.

He hears Jaehyun gasp from the back seat as they near the arena. “ _This_ is where we’re skating?” he exclaims, eyes wide as he takes in the exterior of the venue.

Ten nods and beams. “Yeah, it’s part of the second largest convention venue in Asia,” he says as if he’s talking about today’s weather.

Johnny whistles. “I really can’t believe you got IMPACT Arena for the venue,” he remarks.

Ten couldn’t believe it either. IMPACT Arena is usually booked for big concerts, so an ice show in the arena is unheard of. But Ten—who had plans of doing an ice show in Thailand for years—wasn’t going to settle for Imperial World as the venue. He had big dreams, and someday, he knew that an ice show was going to be sold out at one of the country’s biggest venues.

But it happened. Ten still felt the shock of learning from his mother that tickets are almost sold out and that there were demands for a second day. And, of course, he was happy to put up another show for the next day, which was also almost sold out.

Sometimes he’d still pinch himself because he had never expected any of this.

Most of the staff is already present when they arrive. They get a tour of the arena, the staff showing them the rink, first and foremost. Ten feels like it’s as huge as the one in Gangneung Ice Arena, and the memory sends chills down his spine. He made history in Gangneung, and now, he’s about to do it again in his home country.

Soon, they arrive backstage, to their dressing room. He’s pleasantly surprised that they have their own tables, complete with a mirror and makeup from sponsors. There is also a basket full of gifts, from both sponsors and some fans.

“I mean no offense to Japanese ice show organizers,” Yuta says, picking up a scarf with elephant embroidery, “but Thailand ice shows get plus points for gifts.”

He and his mother share a grin. God knows how long they spent in the market, shopping for the perfect souvenirs for his friends.

“Man, look at Mark’s basket, though!” Johnny is cackling as he points to Mark’s basket of gifts, which is overflowing with both sponsor gifts and fan gifts. “Oh man, Yukhei got his gifts delivered? This is gold!”

Wong Yukhei is a fan Mark met at Cup of China two years ago. He had been part of the group of fans who they befriended on Twitter—Wendy and Seulgi used to run Johnny’s fan site and now run Mark’s fan site, Doyoung runs a YouTube commentary channel, Taeil writes a figure skating analysis blog, and Sicheng and Kun volunteer for the Chinese Skating Association. Yukhei and another fan named Jungwoo were quickly adopted in the group after the Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Yukhei is a few inches taller than Johnny but is the same age as Mark. But he claims that he is “Mark Lee’s undisputed number one fan.” It proved true when Wendy and Seulgi asked him to co-manage the fan site while they were busy with work, and Yukhei definitely stepped up, managing to finish a fan project within weeks while the two girls could finish it in a month. And when he cheers in competitions? His deep voice is definitely the loudest.

Of course, these gestures send Mark burying his face in his hands out of embarrassment. But in truth—at least according to Johnny—the youngest one of them really appreciates the gesture.

“He really went all out,” Ten remarks, picking up a mini-banner that he’s pretty sure Yukhei, Wendy, and Seulgi will distribute to audience members. “I can’t believe they would carry thousands of banners to Thailand.”

Yuta shrugs. “They do this in every competition, so I’m used to it,” he says. “I’m just … glad they never got tired of it.”

Ten nods at that. It’s hard to believe that their fans have been doing this—making projects, giving away banners and fan-made merchandise—for as long as they can remember. But nevertheless, he’s thankful. They’re one of the reasons he keeps on going.

After fawning over their gifts, his mother leaves them alone to get changed into their practice wear. They then leave the dressing room separately, each immersing themselves into their individual warmup sessions.

It feels like a usual day at the Vancouver Skating Club, when they were still complete. Ten would go to his side of the rink with Mark and Johnny, Taeyong and Jaehyun with their own coach, then Yuta and Hansol with their coach. They share private ice time, and they rarely exchange words when their coaches are around, but at the end of the day, they head home and get sidetracked by the diner near the rink or by the arcade a block away.

When he arrives at the rink, everyone else has already submitted their program music to the sounds manager. Excited, Ten hops over to the platform to check what his friends are skating to. He was only responsible for the order of performances, but he was not privy to program music until rehearsals. What makes music choices exciting is that Ten doesn’t really know what to expect. He’ll be debuting a new program over the weekend, while Hansol will probably be skating an old program since he didn’t have time to choreograph a new one. Meanwhile, Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Mark will probably be debuting their new competitive programs.

While Johnny …

Actually, he did not expect Johnny to be part of the cast list. After all, the older one prematurely retired after he was named into the Olympic team in Sochi, following a career-ending injury. Then, it took Johnny three years before he could lace up his skates again. And before that, Johnny spent days wallowing in misery over the end of his career, after which he became Mark’s manager.

But while he spent the next few years after the Olympics on the ice, he usually stood by the sidelines. Until now, anyway. It’s still a shock to Ten as he remembers Johnny asking if he could be part of the cast list. “I want to try skating a program again,” he had said.

“But what about the jumps?” Ten had asked.

“Definitely no jumps. I may miss skating a program, but I’m not that of a risk taker.”

But even when gave him the go-signal, Johnny was very mysterious about his program choices. Even when he prodded over video calls, Johnny still wouldn’t give him a hint. Which was why he practically flung himself towards the DJ just as Johnny handed his and Mark’s CD.

“Wow, someone’s excited.” Johnny chuckles as he watches Ten fumble through the CDs.

“Because _someone_ wouldn’t tell me his program music.” Ten rolls his eyes as he continues shuffling through the CDs. When he finds Johnny’s CD and reads the title, though, he gasps audibly. He then looks at his boyfriend, eyes wide. “Are you _serious_?”

Johnny grins. “Surprise!”

Ten blinks, then looks at the song title scribbled on the CD case. _Viva La Vida_. It was the music to Johnny’s best free skate, the one that he was supposed to skate to in Sochi until he prematurely retired. This was a special program for Johnny, but Ten didn’t expect …

“It kind of took a while before I got the original choreography back, minus the jumps.” Johnny grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “Thought it would be special to skate it in your show.”

“I …” Ten feels his eyes well up. He knew how hard it was for Johnny to agree for Mark to skate this program in the Olympics, much more skate the program for himself. But now …

“Hey, are you crying?”

“I’m not!” Ten says, wiping his eyes.

Johnny laughs, pulling him close. “Come here,” he says softly, pressing a kiss on Ten’s forehead.

Ten sniffs, letting the tears subside before speaking up again. “The audience better watch out, though. I anticipate tears will be shed. Especially from Wendy and the gang.”

“That’s the plan.”

“You’re evil.” Ten laughs, stacking Johnny’s CD case at the back to look at the others’ programs. He stops at Hansol’s, and he raises an eyebrow. “Hansol, seriously?”

The words _Feelin’ Good_ are scribbled on the CD case.

 

 

 

 

They are a couple of hours into rehearsing their own programs when the kids arrive. The kids are a bundle of energy, gasping in awe as they take in the size of the rink. Some of them squeal at the sight of Ten’s friends, mostly Taeyong, who they recognize as the Olympic bronze medalist. Ten’s mother is quick to remind everyone, though, that they should practice first and that autographs can wait till later.

Soon, the media arrives, too, setting up their cameras by the sides. The kids get distracted once more, but Ten is quick to bring them back to focus. He’s used to the attention. After all, media—especially the Japanese—usually document official practice sessions, both for practice and ice shows. And since this is the first practice session, Ten allowed documentation so that everyone can see the effort behind the scenes.

His first order of session is to run through the group numbers, which would be in the opening and the finale. Luckily, he had everything choreographed beforehand, so all he had to do was to show the cast the moves and their formations. It helps that he choreographed his friends before and that the kids pick up on the moves easily, so they manage to get the choreography for both group numbers down before lunch break.

The media follows them to the room where a lunch buffet is served. They spend time talking to the kids before a couple of reporters approach their table to interview them. Ten does most of the talking, since most of the questions are directed towards him anyway, and at the same time, he serves as the group’s translator. By the time the reporters scuffle to have their lunch, he’s exhausted.

Taeyong hands him a bottle of water. “Must be tiring, being the country’s national darling,” he comments with a wry smile.

“Tell me about it,” Ten snorts, taking a sip. His throat feels less scratchy after a while.

The atmosphere becomes a little lighter when the reporters leave. They take photos and videos to be posted on their social media accounts. Johnny takes photos of them, and Yuta does an  Instagram live for his many followers. Mark is blushing as he is hunched up over his phone, no doubt talking to his girlfriend Eunji. Meanwhile, Taeyong and Jaehyun are exchanging quiet conversations every now and then.

Ten, meanwhile, hovers around the kids from time to time, asking them if they’re having a great time. One of the kids blushes furiously as she looks at Taeyong, admitting that she became a fan after the Olympics. Ten laughs at that, gently nudging the girl to approach Taeyong for a photo op.

Soon, though, the kids start approaching everyone else for photos. His friends are accommodating, even going so far as to take the selfies themselves and to sign the kids’ books. It’s a flurry of conversation, and Ten does his best to translate for everyone, so much that the English and Thai gets jumbled in his tongue.

But when lunch ended, and they all returned to the rink, Ten sees everyone walking beside each other, and not the kids following them from behind. From there, he feels that getting tongue-tied between two languages is worth it.

 

 

 

 

After another round of rehearsals, they bid the kids goodbye. As they leave the rink, though, to head to the parking lot, they spot a group of familiar faces. It’s hard to not recognize them, since they were a group of eight, the only two girls had cameras with them, and one of them is just about Johnny’s height, if not taller.

That, and Yukhei suddenly yelled “MARK!”, his long limbs taking him to Mark, and his long arms pulling Mark in a crushing hug in just mere seconds.

“Stop, I can’t breathe!” Mark practically chokes out, but he’s laughing and returning the gesture later on.

“Yukhei, calm yourself,” Wendy laughs, but she nevertheless moves forward to hug Ten. “Hey, your mother let us in.”

“I’m glad she did!” Ten grins, pulling away so that he could hug the others. (Doyoung looked over the moon when Jaehyun hugged him.)

It’s just like this whenever they have an ice show. They meet up with this group, and sometimes they would get treated to some restaurant, especially when it’s someone’s birthday. Seulgi points out that Ten’s mother recommended a nearby restaurant and that the group already booked a private room for them.

And it feels like the lines between fans and friends are blurred between the two groups. Usually Ten would keep his guard whenever fans online would interact with him, but this group of fans is special. They know when to draw the line, but they never stop supporting them. And that’s what makes Ten keep his guard down among them.

“We have something for you!” Jungwoo pipes up once all the empty plates have been cleared.

“For me?” Ten’s eyes widen. He knows some of Team VSC is going to get gifts from the fans, but the gesture still surprises him.

“Well, it’s your first ice show, so we put this together.” Sicheng hands him a paper bag. “Go on, open it!”

Ten does, and he gasps as he brings out what looks like a photo book. The cover is a drawing of him in his Olympic free skate costume (drawn by Seulgi, no doubt). A quick flip through the pages show photos of him from competitions, in between messages of support from fans, painstakingly handwritten.

All messages say the same thing: “Congratulations on your first ice show” and “We’re proud of you!”

“I think it’s working because he’s crying,” Mark comments, to which everyone else laughs at.

“Shut up, I’m not,” Ten half snaps, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “Seriously, guys, thank you. This means a lot to me.”

“He hasn’t gotten to the best part yet!” Hansol says.

“What do you mean there’s more?” Ten practically shrieks. His vision is blurry, and the last thing he wants is to cry some more.

“Just flip to the last page, Ten,” Seulgi says in amusement.

Ten does, and what greets him is a group photo of Team VSC—at least, him, Johnny, Taeyong, Jaehyun, Yuta, and Hansol—posing by the Olympic rings in Gangneung. They had taken this photo after touring, for proof that they actually made their dream come true. And surrounding the photos are messages from his friends and Mark.

 _“You worked really hard for this! Can’t wait to be part of your cast in the future, too!”_ Hansol had written.

 _“Ten!!! You’re so cool you finally made your dream come true! And we’ll be there right beside you. And let me know if Johnny screws up so I can knock some sense into him hahaha,”_ Mark had said.

 _“You deserve all the success for this show. I know you’re doing your best to make skating big in Thailand, and it’s happening step by step. You know you’ll always have us beside you,”_ Taeyong had written.

Yuta’s message is shorter: _“Ten, you’re so amazing! Here’s to more ice shows in Thailand!”_

And then Jaehyun’s: _“Ten hyung! Congratulations on your first ice show! It’s going to be amazing because you worked so hard for this!”_

Of course, Johnny’s message is the last he’ll read. That, and it’s sort of long.

_“Ten,_

_I really am proud of you. I’ve seen how much you’ve worked hard all these years to become not just one of the best but to also put Thailand on the map. And it’s finally happening._

_You’re always chasing for something bigger, and I want you to know that you’re not alone. Whenever you fall, we’re always here to catch you. And I will never stop being by your side, no matter what happens._

_You are amazing in your own right. Don’t let anybody dim your fire._

_I love you.”_

Ten doesn’t really know how he managed to read the whole thing because he’s practically sobbing. There were “awws” all over the room, and suddenly Johnny’s arms are around him, his lips on Ten’s forehead. And despite the teasing that ensued, Ten can’t find himself to come up with a snarky reply since his heart is too full from all the love he has received this past hour.

 

 

 

 

They bid their fan-friends goodbye, and Ten realizes they still have lots of time to spare. They actually don’t have anything scheduled today, since tomorrow is another round of rehearsals plus the day tour. “Do you guys wanna walk around?” he asks.

“Well, there’s nothing else to do in the hotel,” Johnny says, and the others nod in agreement. “Any place in particular we can hang out?”

Ten racks his brain for anything they can do. It’s already late afternoon, which meant they won’t be able to reach the city’s famous landmarks in time. Or maybe they have time for one … “If we take my car, we can make it in time to see the Reclining Buddha. It’s a must-see in Bangkok.”

“Alright, road trip!” Mark exclaims, beaming.

They climb into Ten’s van, and Ten turns on the AC in full blast because Thailand is damn hot. Johnny, as usual, takes the passenger’s seat while the rest squeeze at the two rows of back seats. It feels like a trip out of town, and Ten’s enthusiasm doubles.

They manage to arrive at Wat Pho just an hour and a half before closing time. Ten relishes in his friends’ stunned faces as they take in the temples, the golden statues, the intricately designed murals. He’s no tourist here, but exploring the place with his friends is a different feeling.

To be completely honest, Ten was not much of an explorer. Back when he was a kid, he would rather explore the malls rather than do some sightseeing on famous landmarks. But in the years leading up to the Olympics in Pyeongchang, he had found himself going out more when he had the chance.

Maybe the years of being the lone Thai skater competing in the big international competitions had something to do with it. Maybe because even though he spent most of life in Vancouver, he didn’t really feel like he belonged, even if he found family in an amazing group of friends. And maybe because every time he went home, he would listen to stories of kid skaters about how they didn’t care about skating until they saw “someone like them” on the world stage.

So every year, he tried learning more and more about Thailand, of home, beyond the textbooks, beyond his parents’ stories.

And the more he learns about home, the more he has come to love it.

So as he walks through the courtyard of Wat Pho, relishing his friends’ comments on how amazing the place is, his dreams start to get bigger.

And maybe, if the timing is right, he could show to other skaters how beautiful the entire country is.

 

 

 

 

By closing time, Ten drags his friends to the marketplace, where they get shocked over how everything is so cheap. Even his arms are full of shopping bags, dragged in by his tendency to impulse shop. Eventually, though, their feet hurt, and Ten takes them to a restaurant which he frequents whenever he drinks with his friends in the neighborhood.

It looks like an ironsmith’s workshop more than a restaurant—dark and broody with wrought iron staircases, exposed pipes, and timber and brick that looked like it had seen better days. The head waiter recognizes him, and they are ushered upstairs, to a private room. Ten doesn’t even have to order because the waiter already knows his usual.

“Don’t we usually get drinks after the show?” Johnny asks as they take their seats.

“I, for one, am not gonna say no to drinks,” Yuta says, reaching for a beer bottle as soon as the drinks arrive. “I mean, I bet your coaches are gonna kill you for drinking by the time you get back.”

Ten shudders at the thought of Coach Lee’s disapproving look. “Must be nice to be able to not compete now,” he says.

“Planning to stop anytime soon, Ten?” Taeyong asks, absentmindedly typing something on his phone.

“Huh, not soon. Not really sure if I’ll retire after Beijing or if I’ll just slow down after. I still have lots of time to think about it, I guess.”

“I remember when Hansol hyung announced he was retiring, we all got sad,” Jaehyun mentions. “But now, it’s as if retirement isn’t so bad anymore.”

“Isn’t it obvious? You guys are getting old now.” Hansol chuckles when Mark glares at him. “Minus Mark, of course.”

“I’ll probably think about it after Beijing, though,” Mark says, glancing at Johnny. “Wouldn’t want Johnny to run out of students in his early years of coaching.”

“Thanks for your concern,” Johnny says wryly.

Soon, the food arrives, and silence fills the group as they dig in. Most of what Ten ordered are local dishes, so sometimes he has to explain what the dish is before someone takes a spoonful.

“Taeyong,” Yuta speaks up, serving spoon in hand, “aren’t you gonna get some?”

Everyone’s attention soon turns to Taeyong, who had barely eaten anything after they finished their appetizers. The person in question smiles weakly. “I’m fine,” he says. “I’m a little full from lunch.”

Hansol frowns. “You barely ate anything during lunch,” he points out. “Not to mention we did a lot of walking today. You should at least eat more.”

“I’m _fine_ , hyung,” Taeyong says through gritted teeth. “I just don’t have that much of an appetite these days.”

Even Yuta isn’t smiling. He then looks at Johnny. “Has this been going on for a while?”

Johnny adds. “After Worlds,” he says. “Been trying to feed him as best as I can, but …”

“Wait.” Jaehyun’s eyes widen. “Hyung, do you mean it started when—”

Suddenly Taeyong lets out a laugh that Ten doesn’t recognize. It isn’t that laugh his friend uses whenever they’re joking around, or when he’s nervous. It’s gut-wrenching. He then looks at Jaehyun with anger in his eyes. “Just because we broke up doesn’t mean everything I do revolves around it.”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“You know what? I need some air.” Taeyong huffs, standing up so suddenly that it sends the plates and utensils clattering. He accidentally knocks his glass, sending water splashing on Johnny, but he doesn’t apologize, just stomps out of the restaurant.

Ten is up in a flash. “I’ll get him,” he announces. He holds up his hand just as he catches Jaehyun stand up. “Let _me_ handle this. I don’t think he wants to see you.”

“But—”

“Ten’s right,” Johnny says. “Besides, Taeyong doesn’t speak Thai, and Ten’s gonna make sure no one shady approaches him.”

Ten throws Johnny a grateful smile before heading out.

Taeyong is not in the bathroom, so the next best option for him is to head outside. Luckily, he finds the older one crouched down against the wall, face buried in his arms, seemingly oblivious to whatever is going on around him. Ten’s heart wrenches at the sight. The Lee Taeyong that he has come to befriend had his dark days, but nothing this bad.

He sighs in relief. “There you are!” he exclaims.

“Go away, Ten,” Taeyong mumbles. He doesn’t sound angry, though, and that concerns Ten more.

“I can’t.” Ten crouches down next to his friend. “You can’t speak Thai. If someone suddenly approaches you and kidnaps you, you can’t protect yourself.”

Taeyong huffs. “Wouldn’t it be nice? I don’t think the fed cares about its latest face getting lost. They can easily replace me anyway.”

Ten wants to say that wouldn’t be the case, but he isn’t in the position, not when he’s the only male skater his fed is relying on. “They’re pushing you too hard again?” he says.

“They said the Olympic medal was a fluke, with the way I’m performing,” he says, his voice breaking. “I was _this_ close to getting that World title, Ten. But then I blanked out.” Taeyong sighs. “And now they look down on me.”

“Yongie …” Honestly, Ten doesn’t know what to say. His federation may not have been the most supportive, but they haven’t been the most imposing either. And he feels sort of lucky for that. But that’s not helping him reach out to Taeyong.

“It had been that way after Pyeongchang,” Taeyong continues, sniffing. “I thought I could handle it, but …”

“You still can’t live up to their expectations?”

Taeyong shakes his head. “They want more,” he says. “But obviously, Donghyuck and the younger ones are doing a better job at it.”

“Is that why you’re not eating that much anymore?”

“I … just didn’t want to anymore.” Taeyong looks up and at him, his cheeks pink. He sighs. “And you guys are right. I feel sick all the time, but I can’t stop myself.”

“Maybe you can talk to someone about it,” Ten suggests. His heart pounds fast, hoping that Taeyong won’t get defensive to the suggestion. “I know Johnny and I are free, but it helps when you speak to an expert.”

To his relief, Taeyong’s shoulders don’t stiffen. “Do you really think that will help?”

“You’ll never know until you try. But of course”—Ten wraps his arms around Taeyong’s shoulders—“you know we’re always here.”

This time, Taeyong breaks down into sobs, and he turns so that he’s returning the embrace. Ten may not have figured everything out, but at least he got to break Taeyong’s walls.

Now, he hopes the healing starts.

 

 

 

 

Taeyong was a little reluctant to return to the restaurant, but manages to do so after Ten’s gentle prodding. The group fell silent upon their arrival, but all it took was every one of them hugging Taeyong (Jaehyun awkwardly patted him on the shoulder) for everything to settle back to normal.

They don’t talk about the tense moment a while ago, instead calling it a night. Most of them fall asleep during the ride, and Ten had to struggle in waking them up by the time he parks in the hotel’s parking space.

Mark ushers Taeyong to his room, and Jaehyun sets Ten aside. “Hey, thanks for making sure Taeyong hyung’s okay.”

Ten smiles and shrugs. “It’s nothing,” he says. “We’re all worried about him. Though, I’m sure you are more than others.”

Jaehyun sighs, tapping the key card to his room open and gesturing for Ten to come in. His room is still spic and span, compared with Ten and  Johnny’s room. “I wish I could have done something,” he says, plopping on the couch. “I wish I could do something now, but … I’m not sure he would even let me.”

“I think he will,” Ten says, sitting next to Jaehyun. “You guys have been friends before you got together, and I’m sure he needs you, even if he doesn’t say it.”

Jaehyun glances at him, eyes glassy. “I still love him, you know.”

“Oh …” Ten ends up saying, though he isn’t really surprised at this point.

His friend laughs. “The past two years weren’t that great. I chose to fly back to Seoul because I wanted to wind down and transition to retirement. Hyung wanted to stay until Beijing. I thought we were gonna make the long-distance relationship work, but …” He trails off. “Maybe I should have noticed the signs.”

“Don’t blame yourself.” Ten puts a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder. “Right now, what matters is that we get Taeyong all the support he needs. Then …” He gently gives his friend’s shoulder a gentle pat. “Maybe eventually you could work things out.”

Jaehyun smiles at that. “Yeah, I hope so.”

 

 

 

 

Despite last night’s incident, they all manage to wake up before six. Taeyong manages to eat a bit more than usual, and they give him a proud smile before heading out of the restaurant.

(Ten does catch Taeyong having a hushed conversation with Johnny. He does overhear Johnny saying, “I’m sure Coach Lee is going to support you”, and he thinks everything is starting to be better.)

Morning rehearsals were a breeze. Ten lets them run through everything, from the opening to the finale. The costume designers come in for fitting, and they run through the entire show one more time in costumes. Chills run down Ten’s spine as he watches his friends skate in traditional Thai wear. He can’t resist asking the cast to gather for a group photo, which he uploads in his social media accounts.

He’s a bundle of nerves when rehearsals wrap up. After they get changed, the volunteers hand them the ice show jackets, after which they are ushered to the media room. As they enter the room, they are greeted by flashes of cameras and too-bright lights, which Ten is already used to for being in the spotlight for the past few months.

The nerves are quick to disappear, though, when the press conference starts. The press asks standard questions for him, and they ask his friends typical questions like what are they looking forward to for the ice show, what they would like to get to know more about Bangkok, and more.

He tries to be subtle about it, but he throws occasional glances at Taeyong, who gets most of the questions. The press, of course, asks him about the disappointing finish at Worlds and his plans for Beijing. (Really? The Olympics is two years away.) Taeyong might have clenched his jaw at that point, but he answers all the questions with the confidence that he will bounce back next season.

They do share gazes from across the table, and Taeyong smiles at him, as if assuring that he’s fine.

Ten smiles back, but that doesn’t stop him from worrying nonetheless.

The press conference wraps up, and they are back in the dressing room, changing back to their usual clothes. “So what’s the agenda for today?” Taeyong asks.

Ten already has a list of what they could do for the day. There’s a combination of tourist attractions and other places that are special to him. After all, if his friends are going to see Thailand, he’s going to let them see a bit of his life in the country. “We have a long day ahead,” he says vaguely instead, waving a hand when his friends demand to know more.

The stuff their skating gear back in the hotel before reconvening in the parking lot, squeezing into Ten’s car once more. “Lunch first somewhere, and then I was thinking we go into this nearby landmark,” he says.

“Lead the way, Mr. Chittaphon,” Jaehyun says with a grin.

The Bangkok traffic is surprisingly a pain today, and the heat isn’t doing them much of a favor. Ten drums against the steering wheel impatiently, since the group has fallen silent after probably half an hour of talking and joking around. It turns out that Yuta and Hansol are asleep, Jaehyun is busy playing a game on his phone, Taeyong is staring out at the window, and Mark has his earphones on and jamming to some song on his phone.

Johnny, who is sitting on the passenger’s seat, runs a hand on Ten’s nape. “Relax,” he says gently. “You can always adjust your plans if we don’t make it to a destination on time.”

Ten is lucky that they haven’t moved in ten minutes because he spins his head so suddenly that he could have crashed the car at Johnny’s remark. “Really?” he says incredulously. “You’re telling me to be flexible when you always have an itinerary ready?”

His boyfriend chuckles at his reaction. “Hey, I have my rare moments of impulsiveness,” he remarks.

“Touché.” Ten very much remembers how they spent Valentine’s Day in Gangneung with no plan in mind. It was out-of-character for Johnny, but Ten appreciates that his boyfriend would be willing to wing it whenever needed.

So they did end up in their first destination an hour later than usual, but Ten doesn’t sweat over it. They were actually starving by the time they arrive in the area, so he improvises and takes them to a market with rows and rows of street food. Which ended up being a good option because they all return to their table with piles and piles of food that they couldn’t even finish.

They didn’t get to do everything in Ten’s itinerary, but he doesn’t mind. What matters is that he and his friends are able to go around the city, exploring landmarks, taking pictures, and generally goofing around. Sometimes they get approached by people, asking for photos and promising to see them in the ice show, and it warms Ten’s heart.

It’s already late afternoon, and Ten decides to drop all destinations but one. He drives them out of the city, and slowly the buildings grow less, and the foliage becomes more dominant. “Where are we going next?” Jaehyun asks.

Ten grins, his eyes on the road. “Somewhere special to me,” he says. “My school back when I was a kid.”

“Didn’t you go to school in Vancouver?” Taeyong asks, his attention back to the ongoing conversation in the car.

“On and off. Luckily, my school and the school in Vancouver sort of cooperated so I could go to school in Vancouver during the season then go back to Bangkok in the off-season. So even if I went back and forth, I still managed to graduate on time.” Ten’s grin widens. “But this is still my favorite school.”

“Oh man, I can’t wait to meet the teachers and ask about the embarrassing things our little Tennie did.”

“Shut up, Yuta.”

The school complex is just as how Ten remembers it years ago. He knows security is strict, so he might not be able to bring his friends inside the building, but the fields outside are enough. Besides, he hangs out in the campus grounds more often than he does in the classrooms and the library, anyway.

Taeyong makes a low whistle as he takes in the campus grounds. “This school …” he remarks. “Why do I feel you really belong here?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be coming back here too often.” Ten laughs, brightening up when the security guard recognizes him and ushers them inside the main building. “Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”

It always feels like a walk down memory lane whenever Ten comes back here. He may not be in school for the majority of the year, but this is the closest thing to home, at least after his actual house and Vancouver. His classmates are nice and supportive, and his teachers equally so. Back then, he had realized how hard it was to find a school, at least in Thailand, that would agree to cooperate with a school abroad so that he could still be a full-time student even when he’s a full-time skater.

Classes are ongoing, so the teachers weren’t available. Still, that doesn’t stop Ten from playing tour guide, guiding his friends to each place in the school and retelling his childhood memories. The quad is where they stand during morning ceremonies. That hallway is usually where he runs around with his classmates until the teacher catches them.

Finally, they reach the campus park, benches lined up to give them a full view of the river. Admittedly, this is one of Ten’s favorite spots, and he often skips class to just hang out here and look at the view. Every time he does, he wishes Vancouver could be less cold and that Bangkok isn’t hours and time zones away.

But sometimes, he doesn’t mind. Because back then, he thought, if Vancouver doesn’t work out, at least he’ll have this to come back to.

As soon as they arrive in the park, Ten makes his way to the tree nearest the river. “Pretty sure it’s still here,” he mutters to himself. He runs a hand through the tree trunk and laughs when he finds out what he’s looking for. “Yes! Still here!”

“What is it?” Hansol asks, the first to catch up to Ten.

Ten points to the words carved on the tree trunk. It had the words “Ten will be the best skater ever!” carved in his childhood handwriting. “Wrote this when I was eight,” he explains.

Yuta crouches down to get a good look at the handwriting. “Man, eight-year-old Ten is right,” he remarks.

He laughs, playfully shoving Yuta, who actually topples over, yelling at the grass that he accidentally ate.

They end up sitting on the bench next to the tree. Johnny, Hansol, and Jaehyun end up sprawled on the grass, right in front of them. No one speaks a word, and Ten is fine with it.

Actually, just being in one of his favorite places with his favorite people at work makes everything worth it.

 

 

 

 

Ten wakes up the next day with the butterflies in his stomach going haywire.

Today is the first day of 10 out of Ten.

And he wants to throw up.

He rolls over to his side, only to find out that Johnny is no longer on the bed. He groans and curses Johnny because if Johnny was there, he could cuddle his boyfriend for a few more minutes before he resigns himself to the reality that the ice show is happening in a few hours.

But Johnny doesn’t return, so he sighs and gets up, accepting the fact that he should get ready. After all, he is the star of the show.

The door to the bathroom opens, and Johnny steps out, already wearing his practice gear (much to Ten’s disappointment). He looks at Ten’s direction, and his face falls. “Uh-oh,” he says. “I know that face. It’s your nervous face.”

Ten makes a sound that is a cross between irritation and nervousness. “I’ve never been _this_ terrified,” he admits. “I mean, I was terrified during the Olympics and at Worlds, but not like this.”

“It’s your first major ice show, it’s natural to get nervous.” Johnny approaches him and puts his hands on Ten’s shoulders. “But you’ll be fine. Everything is good to go.”

“What if everyone hates it?” There, he said it. The last thing he wants is to be met with an indifferent crowd, to get bad reviews, to have the investors think an ice show isn’t worth spending their money into. And it scares him now than ever.

Johnny doesn’t judge him for it. His smile softens, and his grip on Ten loosens. “Not everyone will hate it,” he says. “There’s Wendy and the others, your family, some of your friends, your fans. That’s at least a few people. And if some people don’t like it, then that’s their problem. You just do what you love to do, got it?”

It’s easier said than done, what Johnny is asking him to think. But his boyfriend is right. If at least a couple of people like his show, he’d most likely skate for those couple of people next year. This is what he loves, and he wants to share it.

“Come here,” Johnny says, caressing Ten’s cheeks before pressing his lips against him. “For good luck.”

“I’m gonna need all the good luck I can get,” Ten mumbles, grabbing Johnny by the nape of his neck so that their lips could meet again.

 

 

 

 

 

The next two hours seem like a blur to Ten, that he thinks that he’s dreaming it all.

He’s been to too many ice shows in his lifetime, and he knows how each crowd gets hyped up differently. The Japanese are quiet but cheer in the most appropriate moments, while the Koreans cheer at every chance they get. So, honestly, he doesn’t know how the Thai will react to its first ice show.

Needless to say, he didn’t expect the crowd to be so loud. Chills run down his spine as he and the rest of the cast enter for the opening number to a popular Thai song. The cheers become louder as the cast skate to the side to introduce him, and he can’t stop beaming that he feels his cheeks hurt.

The rest of the show goes as well as is expected. The crowd loves Laila and the younger skaters. He laughs as he hears his fans-slash-friends react when Hansol skated to _Stay_ , his final exhibition program before his retirement. Then the mood changed when Yuta skated to a BNK48 medley, though it was disappointing he wasn’t in a skirt. (Doyoung’s words on Twitter, not his.)

Speaking of Twitter, Johnny is on his phone as he watches the show unfold. Ten chuckles and shakes his head. “How do they still manage to tweet during the show?” he says.

Johnny snickers, his thumb still scrolling down the screen. “He’s kind of dying over Jaehyun’s program right now.”

Ten parts the curtains slightly so he could have a good look at the rink. The crowd had just cheered just as Jaehyun landed his triple lutz. He’s wearing a suit and he’s skating to the soundtrack of _Kingsman_ mashed with Bruno Mars’ _That’s What I Like_. There’s a sexy vibe to the program; no wonder Doyoung is dying.

“Did his triple lutz just get better?” Suddenly, Taeyong is standing beside him. He’s geared up in his _Handclap_ costume, eyes sparkling as he gazes beyond the curtains.

Ten grins, the edge of his lips pulling up to a smirk. “He’s gotten better now, hasn’t he?”

Taeyong obviously sees through him, and he rolls his eyes. “Can you, like, get ready with Johnny? I have a program to skate next.”

“Sure, sure, tell Jaehyun that he did a good job!” Ten sticks his tongue as Taeyong, red in the face, shoots him a glare. He then grabs Johnny by the arm, dragging him somewhere farther but still near the entrance to the rink.

“Are you planning something?” Johnny asks him, an eyebrow raised. From the corner of his eye, Taeyong is suddenly pacing, looking like he’s ready to bite his nails.

Ten chuckles and shakes his head. “Just waiting for feelings to take its natural course,” he says.

“Oh man.” Johnny drapes his arms around Ten, drawing a breath when Jaehyun emerges from the rink, eyes wide as he takes in Taeyong. The two share an awkward smile and talk about something they both can’t make out.

That development isn’t huge, but Ten will take it.

“They’ll get there,” Johnny tells him, ruffling Ten’s hair.

Whatever sweet moment that was about to happen was interrupted when Yukhei’s “MARK LEE’S THE BEST!” echoes throughout the rink. The four of them stare at each other before doubling over in laughter.

 

 

 

 

Act 1 closes with a standing ovation. After Johnny’s skate to John Mayer’s _Love on the Weekend_ , Ten closes the first part with his free skate from last season, the program that sealed his place on the podium.

Nothing beats looking around the arena, to audience members rising from their seats to give him a round of applause. The show is halfway done, but the audience is asking for more.

Luckily, the crowd still has plenty to look forward to in Act 2. After the group number, Hansol opens the act once more with _Feelin’ Good_ , much to Doyoung’s dismay. But other than that, anticipation was high as Jaehyun and Taeyong debuted their competitive programs for the next season.

And, of course, when _Viva La Vida_ blasted through the sound system, there was a collective sound of surprise. From Ten’s view from backstage, he catches Wendy and Seulgi teary-eyed while Yukhei is already bawling, even when it isn’t Mark who’s skating.

And finally, it’s his turn. The crowd’s cheers are deafening as the announcer calls his name, and Ten stands up straighter, smiling as he raises his arms to greet the crowd before stopping at the center of the rink.

Soon, the cheers die down, and the lights dim some more, only the spotlight illuminating him. The music plays, and he starts to move.

To be honest, choosing a program music is never easy, especially before the Olympics. But even now, Ten had spent months trying to find the perfect song to express his feelings for this show. How much he’s thankful that he was born Thai, and how he would continue skating for this country for as long as he lives.

He found The Song after the World Championships, when a group of street musicians started playing a song that reminded him of coming home. A quick search on the internet later revealed that it was Antonín Dvořák’s _My Home_.

And today, Ten is expressing his love for representing Thailand in the world figure skating stage, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

As he strikes his final pose, he watches the crowd rise to their feet once more. And his heart swells with pride.

 

 

 

 

The show the next day was a success as well, with the audience giving them several rounds of standing ovations in both acts. Ten takes in the praise, the cheers, and the banners with his and his friends’ names and photos. After months of preparation, that’s when he feels that everything was worth it.

He clasps his friends’ hands tighter as they line up at the center of the rink, making their final bow. Taeyong then yells “Quad battle!”, causing the crowd to cheer louder.

He glances at Johnny, who grins and shrugs. “Don’t mind me,” the older one says. “Go kick their asses.”

“I’ll win this for you,” Ten says, winking before joining the rest of Team VSC already gathered at the center of the rink.

Needless to say, the quad battle was a disaster since most of them end up falling on their butts. Johnny stands on the sidelines, laughing while he documents the entire thing. Either way, the crowd doesn’t mind, although one of the junior skaters hands a medal to Taeyong, who emerged victorious from the quad battle.

They make a couple more rounds at the rink, saying thank you to the fans. His fans are full, receiving gift bags and plushies that his arms are starting to hurt from the heaviness of it all. Luckily, the flower girls arrived, relieving him of his load.

And after that, it was over.

Ten gives one final wave to the audience before skating backstage, a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

 

 

 

 

The atmosphere was festive when they return to the dressing room. Ten’s parents and sister are there, handing them champagne glasses and cheering to a successful two-day ice show. They ask Ten to make a speech, and he just couldn’t help himself from crying while he tries to thank everyone. At least, these were tears of happiness and relief.

As the mini-party goes on, his mother pulls him aside. “I talked to the organizer,” she says with a smile. “Everyone loved the show. They’re asking if you still want to work with them for next year.”

Ten wants to pinch himself. “Um … yes! Of course, I’d love to!”

When the volunteers clear the glasses, they pack up their stuff and head back to the hotel. After leaving their luggage in their rooms, they all reconvene in the lobby. “Where are we holding our after-party?” Yuta asks with a grin.

“I’m too lazy to go far,” Ten admits. “But there is a stall near the market that sells good food and beer.”

They head to the market in comfortable silence, occasionally distracted by whatever items are on sale. Ten treats them because, heck, the ice show turned out well, and he’s really happy right now. And his friends made it all possible, so they deserve to be treated.

“I really can’t thank you guys enough for agreeing to be part of the cast,” Ten speaks up after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

“Anything for you,” Mark says with a grin. “Besides, it was kinda cool we got to explore a bit of your home.”

“Yeah,” Yuta chimes in. “Our ice shows are always in Japan and Korea, so this was something new for us, too.”

Johnny’s fingers intertwine with Ten’s. “I’m guessing a Year 2 is in the works?” he asks, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Ten still can’t believe that another show is happening next year, and his cheeks hurt at the thought. “Oh, definitely,” he says. “And you guys better be part of next year’s cast, too.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Hansol holds up his glass. “To 10 out of Ten!”

Ten definitely toasts to that.

 

 

 

 

It’s already ten in the evening when they decide to head back. As much as they would like to stay longer, most of them are flying the first thing tomorrow morning. The remaining Team VSC will fly back to Vancouver, Taeyong and Hansol to Seoul, and Yuta to Japan. Ten feels reluctant to see his friends off, but he knows this won’t be the last they’ll see each other again.

After all, he’s pretty sure they might get a reunion in Worlds next year. Hansol had mentioned being part of the KSU team, this time as a technical specialist. Yuta brought up some commentating work for next season. Johnny might represent Mark as a coach in the Grand Prix season. And then, of course, he, Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Mark will be competing.

They’ll make it work. They always do.

They made it to the hotel lobby when Johnny freezes on his tracks. “Hey, Ten?” he says. “Wanna get a midnight snack?”

It had been their thing for a while now, getting midnight snack in the convenience store. For some reason, that was how Johnny realized he was in love with him. And since then, the convenience store has been an obligatory stop on the last night of an ice show.

Ten nods. He then turns to their friends, ignoring the wagging of Hansol’s eyebrows. “You guys go ahead.”

They say their goodnights, and he and Johnny walk hand in hand towards the convenience store just across the hotel. “Any Thai snack recommendations?” Johnny asks.

“Banana chips!” Ten exclaims, instantly reaching for a pack in the stall as soon as he finds one. Johnny merely chuckles. “They’re the best, I promise!”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Johnny pays for the snack, and they walk back to the hotel. His boyfriend’s hand feels strangely clammy, which could only mean he’s nervous about something. “Everything okay?” he asks.

His boyfriend barely looks at him in the eye, but he squeezes his hand. “I’ll tell you when we get up, okay?”

“Okay …?” Johnny’s behavior is baffling him, but he mentally shrugs and figures he’ll find out anyway.

They reach their room, and Johnny plops on the couch, popping the banana chips bag open. He takes a piece and takes a bite, and his face brightens up. “This is really good!” he exclaims.

“Told you so.” Ten grins, scooting next to Johnny and taking some chips for himself. “Now what is it that you wanted to tell me?”

“Right.” Johnny clears his throat, then puts the plastic container on the coffee table. “So, I was supposed to tell you this last week, but you were so busy with the show. And besides, I wanted to surprise you—”

“Just cut to the chase.” Ten laughs. Johnny is usually the more confident out of them, and to see his boyfriend stutter over whatever he’s about to say … it’s adorable, really.

“Sorry.” Johnny flushes pink, and he takes Ten’s hands in his. “I’m … actually not leaving with Mark tomorrow.”

Ten blinks, not sure if he heard it right. “What?”

“I told Mark—and my parents—that I’ll be staying for another week,” Johnny elaborates, a grin spreading to his face. “I want to get to know you in your hometown better, Ten. And I want to do it when I have a chance.”

Ten can’t believe what he’s hearing. They’ve talked about Johnny flying to Bangkok, sure, but the plans haven’t really panned out. Usually Ten would be so busy, and Johnny was still occupied with finishing his coaching certification. But now … “W-What about Mark?” he asks, finally finding his voice.

“He’ll be fine. Mark promised he’ll practice on his own for the week. And besides, Coach Lee is there.” Johnny’s expression changes into concern. “I mean, this is okay, right? I was thinking you’ll be free after the ice show. I asked your parents, too, if it’s okay, and they don’t mind. But maybe—”

“Johnny, just—shut up.” Ten grabs Johnny by the nape of his neck and pulls him for a kiss. His heart is just too full right now for any kind of conversation at this point. Johnny spending another week in Thailand? Where they can go out and explore and hang out with his family? And Johnny even moved his schedule for this? He has the best boyfriend ever.

Just when he thought he wouldn’t have any other reason to love Johnny Seo, he’s always proven wrong.

Johnny is beaming when they pull away. “I’m taking you’re absolutely free the whole week?”

“Please.” Ten giggles, leaning forward to give Johnny a quick peck. “Even if I have something planned, I’ll probably reschedule it.”

“Okay, good.” Johnny chuckles, kissing Ten’s forehead. His hand reaches for Ten’s shoulder, thumb running slow, smooth circles on his skin.

Ten shivers at the contact. “You know …” he says. “It’s still a little too early to go to bed.”

Johnny grins. “Oh, I don’t know …” He yawns, but Ten could tell that his boyfriend is clearly faking it, _that tease_. “I think I’m exhausted from the ice show and the walking and the food, I might turn in early.”

“Jerk!” Ten laughs, slapping Johnny’s arm.

“I’m kidding!” Johnny pouts, rubbing his sore arm. He gets up and holds out his hand. “Come here, you …”

And of course, Ten could never say no to Johnny, even if he tried. He takes Johnny’s hand, and the older one pulls him up, onto his arms. Ten sighs, meeting Johnny halfway for a kiss. The room suddenly feels so warm, everything hot and heavy that he can’t breathe, can’t really think of anything else but Johnny’s mouth and Johnny’s arms around his waist.

 _God,_ he misses this. Those three months without Johnny were damn hard.

Speaking of …

Ten couldn’t resist giggling when he feels a bump on Johnny’s jeans. The older one rolls his eyes, but moves to suckle on Ten’s neck, effectively shutting him up.

“Babe,” Ten practically breathes out, though that comes off more as a moan when Johnny gently nips on that sensitive part of his neck. “I love you and I know we missed this, but maybe we shouldn’t do this standing up.”

Johnny laughs at that. He grabs the back of Ten’s thighs and hitches the younger one up around his waist. He then drags them to the bedroom, Ten laughing breathlessly as he does so.

 

 

 

 

They were both a little late coming downstairs the next day for breakfast. Ten still feels sore, but the pleasant buzz all over his body makes up for it. It kind of helps that Johnny kissed him as soon as they’re both awake, and they enjoyed a lazy makeout session before they decide to finally get up.

Hansol is the first to notice them when they arrive. A smirk crosses his lips, and Ten instantly knows they’re in for a round of teasing. “Guess you two had a good time last night.”

Mark chokes on his orange juice at that.

Ten glares at Johnny, hiding the red spot on his neck, to no avail. Johnny merely grins and shrugs before sitting down next to his brother.

“Heard from Mark you’re staying for another week,” Jaehyun tells Johnny.

“Yeah.” Johnny nods. “Guess I’ll see more of Thailand than you guys will.”

“Enjoy your honeymoon,” Taeyong remarks with a smirk. (Ten is pleased when he sees his friend’s full plate.)

Ten rolls his eyes and laughs. “Guys, please, we’re not married.”

His friends laugh along.

Maybe, if he looks at Johnny more closely, he would see his boyfriend’s cheeks flush as his gaze travels to his lap.

But of course, he doesn’t get to see that because he makes his way to the buffet line because he’s starving.

He’s a little reluctant to see his friends off, but he really has no choice. He helps them bring their stuff down the lobby, then checking out on everyone’s behalf. The dilemma, though, was that because of the luggage, the rest of them won’t fit.

“Maybe two of you can take a taxi,” Ten suggests. “I’ll pay for the fare, don’t worry.”

“Taeyong hyung and I can take the taxi,” Jaehyun volunteers. He’s met with wide eyes from everyone, even Taeyong, but Jaehyun doesn’t waver.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Johnny asks later as they watch the taxi with Taeyong and Jaehyun speed up.

“The fact that Taeyong actually agreed to share a ride with Jaehyun without us?” Yuta comments with a chuckle. “I think they will be.”

They find Taeyong and Jaehyun sitting beside each other in the waiting area of the airport’s Departures section an hour later. Taeyong moves forward and whispers something in Jaehyun’s ear, and the latter laughs at whatever the former said. Ten heaves a sigh of relief at the sight.

They catch up to the two before gathering in a circle. His friends’ flight times differ, and he wants to wait for all of them to board, but Johnny’s staying with him, and he wants to show his boyfriend so much of his hometown. “So …” he begins, looking at his friends. “I’ll see you guys whenever?”

“Definitely.” Mark grins, moving forward to hug Ten first. “Take care of Johnny for me.”

“Hey, I’m not a kid,” Johnny protests, but he hugs his brother as well.

After a couple more rounds of hugs, Ten waves his friends goodbye before he and Johnny head back to the parking lot. The sky is clear, and the weather is becoming more stifling, but he strangely doesn’t mind.

“Where to now?” Johnny asks as they hop in the car.

Honestly, Ten hasn’t thought of his plans so far. But he isn’t so stressed about it. “We can drop your stuff at my house,” he says. “Mom will probably feed you. Then maybe I show you around the neighborhood?”

Johnny grins. “Sounds good to me.”

“Just so you know,” Ten adds, “this is a last-minute thing, so I’ll mostly be winging it. That okay?”

Johnny is giving that look that makes Ten want to burst. That gaze is gentle, his smile soft, as if Ten was his entire world. And honestly, the feeling is mutual. He really loves this tall, gentle boy for as long as he can remember, and he’d do anything to see this gaze for as long as he can.

“Hey,” Johnny says after a while, “I’m fine winging it anytime, anywhere. As long as you’re with me.”

Typically, Ten would be a giggling mess and hit Johnny playfully on the arm for being cheesy, but this time, he’s at a loss for words. He simply smiles, and Johnny smiles back.

It felt like years before Ten manages to move, putting on his seatbelt and starting the engine. “Well, let’s go?”

“Yup, let’s.”

Ten leans forward, giving Johnny a light kiss on the lips before starting the engine, letting the car speed off out of the airport parking lot.

-End-

**Author's Note:**

> for those who are wondering about jaeyong, yes, they’re getting a side story, too! stay tuned for updates about that. :)


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